I am a nurse in SE Michigan. Recently my Dad was transported to Butterworth Hospital to assess for a possible heart blockage. He was taken care of by Jason Ruddy while waiting for his cardiac cath and post-procedure. Jason was super friendly and very knowledgeable about all parts of my Dad’s care. Jason was able to put my Dad at ease as he was quite nervous.

Jason answered my nursing questions in addition to logistical questions about timing and what to expect. He put the nurse in me at ease as well because of his proficient knowledge of the procedure and what to expect. Dad’s procedure went well, and he returned to the same room post-procedure. When we returned to the room, I noticed the hand on the side they performed the procedure on looked noticeably more dark, red, and swollen than his other hand. When I commented, Dad mentioned it was starting to feel tingly.

We rang for the nurse and Jason came right away. He called for assistance and the other nurses and med techs were there promptly to help. Jason knew that a call to the doctor was necessary and did so immediately. He stayed very collected, spoke very calmly to the doctor. He remained very calm, finished the call, and then trusted his nursing judgment to know what to do next. Jason saved my Dad from having further injury and damage from a hematoma that was not responding to the typical measures.

When I had to leave after all of this, I did not have any reservations or concerns about doing so because I knew that my Dad was in the best possible situation for his cardiac issues. Knowing he was in the caring, knowledgeable, and competent hands of Jason and all the other nurses on the unit, I had no hesitation about going home to sleep that night. That kind of composure and clear thinking is not always easy, but Jason made it look easy. The nurse in me wanted to commend another nurse for keeping it together when it would be easy to fall apart.